October 2007's coolest gadgets revealed

3mm thick TVs and HD video recorders

By Martyn Williams | 13 October 07

Every year in October, Japan's largest electronics show, Ceatec, showcases all that's new and upcoming from the world's sharpest consumer electronics vendors. Ceatec 2007 brought us some world-first technologies, including a 3mm thick TV, a laptop with super-charged graphics processing and some new high-definition video recorders.

Here are our picks from Ceatec and other new gadgets from the past month:

Sony 3mm thick OLED TV

Without a doubt the coolest thing at Ceatec this year was Sony's OLED (organic light emitting diode) television. This is something we've been promised all year and the first commercial product doesn't disappoint - except perhaps on price.

The set has an 11in OLED panel and is 3mm thick. OLEDs offer other advantages over LCD and PDP technology, including wider viewing angles, faster response time, and better contrast and colors. However, the technology is difficult to manufacture and the OLED material degrades over time.

Sony said the XEL-1 has a viewing life of 30,000 hours, which allows a user to watch eight hours of television each day for 10 years. The television goes on sale in Japan on December 1, and will cost ¥200,000 (£875). Currently, there are no plans to sell the television outside Japan, as Sony plans to manufacture just 2,000 sets each month.

Smart home- or wearable tech: which is more likely to benefit your digital life this year?

I'm more likely to buy smart home- than wearable tech this yearI'm more likely to buy wearable- than smart home tech this yearI'll probably buy both smart home- and wearable tech this yearI'm unlikely to buy smart home- or wearable tech this yearNot sure/don't know